


You're My Best Friend

by coldfusion9797



Series: For The Fans [5]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Comfort, Crying, Established Relationship, Friendship, John Deacon Feels, M/M, Sad and Happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-05 18:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldfusion9797/pseuds/coldfusion9797
Summary: Joe gets a dream job offer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In reality, I'm not sure this would be a good idea, but it's a fun one to dream about. Enjoy!
> 
> (Also, I know I still have a WIP in this series, I'm getting there, but that part has no bearing on this one.)

When his phone rings, it's Dexter Fletcher's name that lights up the screen.

"Hi," Joe answers, happy enough to take the call, though he has no idea why the director would be calling him. Essentially the BoRhap journey ended when Rami won his Oscar. Of course he and Rami's friendship continues, he keeps in touch with Gwil, and Ben, well he's still around, currently catching up on his beauty sleep in their bed.

"Joe, how are you?"

"Great," he answers honestly. He's never felt more settled or content.

"Busy?" That question from a director pretty much means one thing.

"Got a new project, Dex?"

"Yeah," Dexter admits. "Well that's assuming the actors are interested. How do you feel about perming your hair again?"

He hated that perm, but this question can mean only one thing. His heart starts to race. 

"A BoRhap sequel?" 

"Sort of. Working title 'You're My Best Friend'." That's a Deacy song. "I'll give you the pitch, see what you think."

"Okay," Joe agrees, mind racing. There are so many possibilities...

\---

Joe's just kind of standing there, gripping his phone, looking a bit dazed when Ben walks into the room.

"Jesus Christ..." Joe mutters to himself.  
Ben doesn't think he's ever seen Joe look quite so shocked, he's usually pretty cool, calm and collected. It freaks him out a little honestly. 

"What is it?"

Joe's eyes snap up, searching Ben's like he's looking for a validation, one Ben can't give because he still has no idea what's going on. 

"What?" he repeats, voice a pitch higher as the panic really starts to rise. 

"They... They wanna do another BoRhap." Joe's frowning like he can't believe it, Ben knows exactly how he feels. It was a dream, only ever a dream, it's not something they believed would ever actually happen. 

"The rest of Freddie's life?" It's the logical progression but Ben isn't sure how he feels about that. Freddie was a very private person, and he didn't want to be defined by his illness. 

"No. It's the same story again. Only this time, it's Deacy's point of view..."

Joe as the star, that's what he's saying. His reaction is understandable, this is going to be massive.

"Wow..."

"All the stuff we missed, like how John joined the band, the elevator moment when they found out BoRhap went to number one..."

Ben can see it already, that one will be an incredible scene, funny and touching, a celebration of friendship. The fans will love it.

"Joe, this is huge!"

"I know," Joe agrees, sounding mostly excited, but a little bit terrified too.

Subtlety, that's Joe's strength as an actor, and it's John Deacon to a tee. Plus the sass. They both have sass. It does feel a little bit like Joe was born to play this role. 

Ben reaches out, steadies Joe with a hand on his shoulder, squeezes to make him focus.

"Joe, this story is for you to tell. No one else could do this like you can."

Joe looks into his eyes and nods.

"It's about friendship."

"Well," Ben smiles. "That's something we all understand."

A smile starts to form on Joe's face too. 

"We can do this, can't we? Together, we'll be okay."

"Yeah, Joe," Ben grins, pulling Joe into a tight hug. "We've got your back. You're gonna be brilliant."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know how unlikely it is that John Deacon would ever consent to something like this, but like I said, I can dream. Thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deacy feels kill me every time...

Reading through the script, there's so much for Joe to think about. On the whole, BoRhap was a celebration of Queen's music, but this one, it delves deeper into the relationships between the band members, and telling it from John Deacon's point of view makes it a very bittersweet thing. 

On the surface, he and Freddie were like chalk and cheese, Freddie the flamboyant showman, Deacy the reserved bassist, but they shared something very special. That's why John's involvement with the band essentially ended with Freddie's death. 

To John, who joined the band after Freddie, Queen was more about Freddie than it was to Brian or Roger, who had already been making music together. It's not good or bad, or right or wrong, it's just a fact. John couldn't see Queen without his best friend at the front.

But that's the end of the story. Before that there is so much goodness and joy.

Like mucking around in the recording studio, just being mates and having fun. He's seen a video of them in the studio wearing each other's shirts, Freddie's white singlet swimming on John's lighter frame, Freddie in pink floral. It's funny, and spontaneous, and _ordinary_. Sometimes people forget that stars are just people too.

Joe has a long and enduring friendship with Rami, he can draw on that. He knows what it's like to trust someone completely, both personally and professionally. It's a bond that was forged behind the scenes during the difficult production of 'The Pacific', and reinforced on the unreliable set of BoRhap. A decade ago they were battling incomplete scripts, this time around something much worse. They all banded together in the face of it, and it's a bond that won't be broken. One cemented too by the unwavering support he received when facing a devastating personal loss. Love is love and Joe was surrounded by it.

An interesting thing about Queen was that Freddie's sexuality meant nothing to his bandmates. He was just Freddie, and that was in a time when tolerance was not the norm. Maybe Freddie felt like he had nothing to apologise for, because to his friends, the people who mattered most, he didn't. They didn't love him because of it, or despite it. They just loved _him_. 

There's a heartbreaking scene, after Freddie reveals his diagnosis. John breaking down in private, but pulling himself together, knowing he has to do that for Freddie.

It must have been incredibly difficult to go to work every day- because Freddie wouldn't stop, couldn't stop, needed to share everything he had left- and be confronted with that awful inevitability day after day, never being able to say no. Part of John's story is about watching a friend die. What could be worse than that?

Joe honestly doesn't know what he'd do if his time with Ben suddenly had an expiry date. Maybe he'd withdraw from the world like John did. It certainly wouldn't be as bright a place without him. 

He sniffs, feeling only the smallest bit silly, and wipes a stray tear off his cheek. This approach to the role is gonna push him, but that's okay. What's the point of making movies if they don't challenge on some level?

"Hey buddy..." It's Ben's voice, soft and careful, and Joe loses it a little bit, just for a second, but Ben is there, wrapping him up.

"Anthony's writing can't be that bad," Ben jokes, still holding him close.

Joe sobs out a laugh, because Ben is here making a joke to cheer him up, and the fact that he cares enough to do that means everything. 

They hold each other, Joe squeezing maybe a little tighter than is strictly necessary, but he's never had something so precious to hold onto. Something it would kill him to lose. He buries his face in the crook of Ben's neck and reminds himself he doesn't have to worry.

After a while, sensing he's calmed down, Ben pulls back, cups his face, brushes a thumb over his damp cheek. His touch is warm and gentle, his blue eyes full of concern, but he's calm and patient and ready to listen.

"Seriously though, you alright?"

Ben is so beautiful and Joe loves him so much. It was when his dad died during the BoRhap shoot that he realised how special Ben was. When Ben did everything he could to help Joe keep it together and make it through filming. And because sometimes too, Ben had just let him be sad. 

"Yeah. Just thinking about how lucky I am, I guess."

Ben's expression softens into little smile, he feels it too, and Joe leans in, pressing his lips to that cherubic mouth. 

Ben lets him, and that says a lot, because he probably looks all red and puffy and gross. The kiss tastes salty because there are tears in it, and Joe decides he better pull himself together. He's got nothing to cry about. 

He leans back, laughing softly at himself.

"Better?" Ben questions, eyes sparkling now. It really would be impossible for Joe to be any more in love with him.

"I love that you think a kiss from you can fix everything."

"Can't it?" Ben asks, sounding like he genuinely means it, and Joe laughs again, proving Ben's point for him. The thing is though, Joe can't say he's wrong.

"Snuggle for a bit?"

Ben's mouth quirks up, like he might say something smart, but in the end he doesn't. He knows when to joke and when not to. Instead, he just curls up on the couch beside Joe, tucked under his arm, and it's like this that Joe feels most at ease. John Deacon's lyrics ring true. Ben might be his costar, his lover, his rock, but all that aside, most importantly, he's Joe's best friend. 

It's incredible, he thinks, how one person can mean so many things, and he gets it. He gets why losing Freddie broke Deacy's heart. 

He presses a kiss to Ben's hair and picks up the script again. He can do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're My Best Friend is honestly the sweetest little song ever, and it makes me write things like this. Thanks for reading :)


End file.
